New Education grants announced

MURDOCH has boosted its resources for education research following the recent announcement of Commonwealth Government funding of $80,000 to fund two new projects aimed at improving the literacy and numeracy skills of Australian children.

Murdoch's Executive Dean of Arts, Professor Gary Martin, said he was delighted that Murdoch's Centre for Learning, Change and Development had received the grants for literacy and numeracy work involving outside schools and colleges.

"Only ten projects, targeting students in the early and middle years of schooling, are being funded across the country," said Dr Judith MacCallum, Director of the Centre for Learning, Change and Development.

"The first Murdoch project focuses on the development of meaningful and effective early childhood literacy practices within a kindergarten setting at All Saints College, Bull Creek.

"It will involve working with the kindergarten and the children's families using a range of strategies to help understand and enhance the children's literacy development."

The second successful project examines how the students of Waikiki Primary School can develop and improve their numeracy achievement.

This would be done through an action learning process involving both teachers and parents at the school.

"This project aims to raise the profile of numeracy by giving teachers and parents the opportunity to engage with numeracy in meaningful, realistic, everyday situations that reflect school, home and community life," said Dr MacCallum.